


You're You And I'm Me

by Zillion_thoughts



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Canon divergence - I think, F/M, Fem!Keith, Fem!Lance, Genderbending, Genderswap, I Tried, I apologize It's not very good, I wanted to experiment, It's meant as a filler, Male!Allura, Male!Pidge, Self-Indulgent, Why the heck are there supposed to be exclamation marks with those tags, fem!coran, fem!hunk - Freeform, fem!shiro - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2019-02-09 01:45:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12877563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zillion_thoughts/pseuds/Zillion_thoughts
Summary: Pidge doesn't want any distractions from his work, but somehow Lana becomes one he welcomes with open arms.(I couldn't summarize this very well, I don't want anyone to think I'm copying names, they were just suitable).





	You're You And I'm Me

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry for those following my kidge fic, still really busy, but have this scrap of trash I dug up and want to offer as a meager substitute  
> Tried to feminize their habits as much as I could.

 

Pidge was engaging in his usual pastime activity – trying to readjust Honey’s Fraunhofer machine, and improve it – when he heard footsteps near the door. Loud footsteps that had a certain pause between each step that told him only one thing. _Great_.

Sure enough, two seconds later, the Green Lion’s hangar door opened and a tall girl sauntered in, slumping down in the other chair usually occupied by Honey. She sighed dramatically.

Without looking up, Pidge asked her, “Can I help you with something?” He didn’t appreciate Lana intervening on his privacy.

As she’d done too often at the Garrison.

“I’m _bored_ ,” Lana whined.

“And you _yawned_ last time I was trying to explain to you how I destroyed the virus Sendak planted onto the Castle’s crystal, so I’m pretty sure you’re going to fall asleep hanging around in here.”

Lana leaned forward, her hair hanging over her shoulders. “There’s no one else to talk to. Shiro, Cora, and Aluran are talking to Honey about finding the Balmera, and Kathy’s training. Not that I would talk to her, anyway. I got tired of their _diplomatic_ conversation, and Kathy’s no fun to tease when she’s not paying attention to me, so I left to find you.” She scrutinized the young boy, hunching slightly over his laptop, and frowned. “Any progress on tracking the Galra?”

Pidge pressed his mouth into a flat line. “No. One, because I haven’t yet been able to figure out how to enhance the machine’s tracking abilities, and two, because I’ve been interrupted by an _annoyance_.”

“Wow, Pidge,” Lana pouted. “You won’t even pity me.”

“Go find the mice and ask them to do your hair or something.”

“The _mice_ are with Aluran. If I go to them, Cora will see me, and I’m trying to avoid her because she wants me to help her clean out the cryo-pods again.” Lana shuddered. Glancing at Pidge again, she asked, “Do you even _need_ your glasses to see?”

The boy tensed slightly. “Yes. I do.”

“Oh. I thought it was part of your disguise as a girl. I still don’t get how you were able to pull it off. But now that I know, it should have been obvious that you were a boy instead of a girl.”

“Well, _you_ were the only person on the ship who didn’t figure it out. So I had you duped more than anyone else.”

Lana scowled. “It wasn’t _my_ fault. I mean, look at you! You still have pins in your hair!”

“It’s for _convenience_ ,” Pidge argued. “My hair gets in the way of my work, it’s too short to tie up, and too long to leave it alone. I think I’m going to cut it anyway, now that everyone knows. And besides, I barely notice the pins are there.”

“Why is your hair even that long?”

“Haven’t you ever heard of _playing the part_? I needed to grow it out!” Pidge was getting more and more peeved.

Lana pursed her lips, but stopped asking questions.

Except for one more. “Do you need help with anything?”

Pidge opened his mouth, on the verge of an angry retort, when he stopped, processing what the brunette had just said. “I – excuse me?”

“I said, do you need any help?”

Pidge looked up from his work to see if Lana was joking, but there was sincerity in her deep blue eyes. “Uh – um…….” he stammered, not sure how to respond to this unexpected inquiry. He looked down at his computer. “I…….actually, there’s nothing right now that you can help with. I’d really need Honey here to help me figure it out. Y’know, because it’s _her_ device.”

“Oh.” Lana got up and stretched, hands clasped above her head, body tilting. Pidge glanced at her and instantly wished he hadn’t. He whipped his head back towards the screen, face faintly pink, heart hammering. “Well, I’m going to see if the prince has finished his diplomatic conversation. Shouldn’t take _that_ long.” She headed towards the hangar doors, her long hair fluttering gently against her back. “See ya, Pidge.”

“Later,” Pidge mumbled, not daring to look up again. _What was_ that?

                                                     *   *   *

But Lana came back during the following days, sometimes when Honey was there, but often when she wasn’t. Maybe she valued Pidge’s company more than she let on, or maybe she just wanted to rant about Kathy to someone, but either way, Pidge found himself in the presence of the blue-eyed brunette a lot more than his stomach was comfortable with.

Which was _weird_. Since when did Lana affect his digestive habits?

“So, were you shocked about all the _girl stuff_ you had to learn?” she asked one day, tilting the swivel chair back as far as she dared.

Pidge gave a one-shouldered shrug. “I have an older sister. I knew a lot from her when I was little to start with. But one of the things I just don’t understand is why _makeup_ has to be so _perfect_. If compared to a coding language, I can see the procedure and precision, but it isn’t as important as science. Who _cares_ if you have it on or not?”

Lana gasped, almost falling over. “Excuse me? Do you think this –” she gestured to her head. “– comes naturally? Well, obviously for me it does, but makeup is an _enhancer_. It only works on people who are naturally pretty – or at least well acquainted with its tools – which is why I doubt Kathy could ever use it.”

“I did put on a bit to make myself appear more feminine at the Garrison. It was _the_ most annoying task I’ve ever done in my life, and I stopped about four days after I got into the academy.”

“Oh, effort pays off, Pidge, effort pays off,” Lana admonished him.

“Is that what Shiro says every time you slack at training?”

“ _Hey_ , that’s not fair! She makes us train at the crack of dawn, and I need my beauty sleep for at least eight hours.”

“Sure.” Pidge smirked. “Because your appearance is more important than saving the universe.”

Lana tried to make a good comeback, but eventually couldn’t, and resorted to spinning her chair around in silence. After a while, though, of course she managed to comment on something else. “Your voice is high. Is that why you thought you’d be able to sneak in as a girl?”

Pidge clenched his teeth under his jaw. Sometimes, Lana could be really nice and fun, but other times, she was downright annoying. “Can you please _stop_ ridiculing me about my appearance? We’re in space right now, and I don’t think anyone gives a quiznak about how I look or sound right now. Which I’m grateful for.”

The last part slipped out by accident, and he froze, then prayed she didn’t read into it.

But this was Lana. Lana who spoke first, thought later, and meddled significantly.

Her voice went a notch softer. “I’m sorry.”

 _What_.

“Did people tease you often about it?”

And once again, Pidge was surprised to hear her taking this earnestly. “Well…..yeah. Especially during school. I was always the nerd.” He smiled humorlessly. “Add that to the height and prepubescent voice, and you’ve got your physical gag kid all wrapped up and ready to go. I took the brunt of their ‘jokes’. Couldn’t really defend myself properly, anyway. I figured the Garrison was a better option.”

“Yeah, probably.” She tapped her chin, then went over to him and slung an arm around his shoulder. “And, of course, you met me and Honey, and you saw how amazingly popular we were, and couldn’t wait to become besties.” She paused. “Which…… would have happened if you were actually some newbie female communications officer.”

“You say it like it’s a bad thing,” Pidge answered, his eyes darting to the older girl’s manicured hand clutching his shoulder.

“Well, I was hoping when we first formed Voltron, it would be this super cool, fearsome robot as a sign for ‘don’t mess with the ladies’. A heroic squad of girls.”

“And I suppose I’ve ruined your dream.”

“Nah, you haven’t.” She squeezed him closer, and his stomach pitched. “You’re this super cool, heroic _guy,_ who managed to repel an alien virus and who’s probably better at understanding Voltron than all of us put together – except maybe Aluran.”

“Well, his father did build Voltron.”

“Do you think that explains why he’s so handsome?” Lana smiled dreamily.

“ _No_ ,” said Pidge fiercely, pulling away from Lana abruptly, his gut twinging in irritation. “That doesn’t mean anything at all.”

                                                     *   *   *   

The seven castle members were seated at the table, eating whatever edible and hopefully delicious concoction Honey had managed to prepare for them while the castle headed toward some recently-liberated planet for a celebration they had been invited to. Pidge stirred around the goo-based substance in his bowl, still trying to figure out what was wrong with his stomach. Maybe it was puberty? He was going to be 15 soon and still hadn’t ‘bloomed’, so that would be a reasonable conclusion.

Aluran’s voice roused him out of his thoughts. “Before we land, I have an announcement to make. These people have asked a request from us – they want us to –”

“Dress formally!” Cora interrupted excitedly, waving her spork at the paladins.

“Dress formally?” Lana asked, her eyes lighting up, but Kathy interrupted. “We always dress formally. In our paladin armor.”

“No, dummy,” Lana argued. “He means _wearing_ a dress! Jewelry! _Hello_? The whole shindig?”

“A dress?” Kathy said uncertainly, as if she wasn’t sure the word was in her vocabulary.

“Prince, are you sure?” Shiro asked. “Because we don’t exactly possess anything _fancy_ right now.”

“Oh, don’t worry. The castle has a whole assortment of clothes for you to choose from!” Cora supplied.

“All right!” Lana squealed.

Once they landed and had greeted the natives, Cora said that they expected the paladins to be at their grand hall in three vargas.

Lana gasped. “Oh, we have to start getting ready right away!”

Aluran looked at her confusedly. “It’s……advisable to get ready beforehand, but are you sure you need this much time?”

“Of course,” Lana said firmly. “C’mon, Cora, you _have_ to show me what you’ve got in stock.” She got up and practically pushed the ginger-haired advisor, Honey, and Shiro from the room. Kathy she had to _drag_. “I – don’t – want – to –!” But her protests, along with the others, were lost among the echo of the castle.

That left Pidge and Aluran. The prince looked at the younger boy. “Women, huh? Sometimes I really don’t understand them.”

Pidge shrugged. “I can’t relate. I mean, I understood – I _understand_ my big sister pretty well.”

“Oh.” Aluran stopped, at a loss for words, but then asked Pidge, “Do _you_ need help getting something to wear?”

“I’ll choose once _Lana’s_ out of the room. I don’t need to be fussed over.”

Just then, Cora came back into the room. “Well, Lana’s pretty much shepherded them into order like a pack of yalmors, so I’m not needed there. However…..” her eyes fell upon Pidge, who looked up, confused. “I doubt _you_ have anything to wear. Which is why _I’m_ going to personally help you get ready.”

The younger boy saw the gleam in her eyes and started to sweat. “Uh, I think I can take care of myself, thanks.”

But Cora didn’t take _no_ for an option.

Which is why Pidge found himself being bombarded in the face with a noticeably old-fashioned dress shirt, dress pants, and a _bowtie_. “Cora, there’s _no way_ I’m wearing this.”

“It’s not that bad, Pidge,” Aluran, who had also come along, tried to reassure him.

But the boy was unwavering. “Isn’t there anything……..a little more _updated_?”

“Hmm.” Cora tapped her chin, then pulled out something else. “Will this do?”

Pidge looked at the collared shirt, dark pants (which, thankfully, were _not_ leggings this time) and bowtie. Internally he groaned, but aloud he said, “Well, I guess it works. I’ll just have to bear with a bowtie.”

“Why, what do you have on Earth?” Aluran said interestedly.

“Nothing.”

But the ~~torture~~ procedure didn’t stop there. By the time Cora had finished with him, Pidge was thoroughly uncomfortable and had that familiar feeling of stiffness whenever his mother made him dress up.

Aluran thought otherwise. “You look great, Pidge.”

He didn’t even manage a smile. “Thanks.” _Let’s just get this over with_.

They congregated with the other girls at the castle entrance.

“I could’ve sworn this didn’t fit when I looked at it before I put it on,” Honey mumbled, checking out the dress that matched her name. She saw Pidge’s attire and gave him a thumbs up. “You look good, Pidge. And don’t worry,” she whispered. “It’ll be over before you know it. At least you only had to wear a shirt and pants.”

“I’m not entirely sure _what_ Cora put in my hair,” Pidge protested. “But whatever it is, it’s making my head feel stiff.” His face felt naked without his glasses, and he fervently wished he had them back on.

At least they reminded him of Maddie.

Honey patted him on the back. “Don’t worry, dude, I’ll stay with you the whole time.”

“Are they ready for us?” Shiro asked, absentmindedly tugging at the long white glove that hid her prosthetic arm.

“I think so,” Aluran replied. “Where’s –”

There was a scuffle at the other end of the room, and the hall doors opened to reveal Kathy being frog-marched into the room by Lana. “Ta-da!” she said excitedly, giving one twirl of her own, letting the floaty, ocean-blue skirt flutter around her ankles, before gesturing to Kathy and squeezing her arm. “Doesn’t she look magnificent?”

“I feel like an idiot,” Kathy mumbled.

Pidge stared at Lana. _Woah. Woah. She looks……_

_Beautiful._

_What? No._

That word was _not_ in his vocabulary _._

He blinked furiously. _Nerves. You have nerves. Why else would you feel this way?_

 _Because,_ a little neglected voice at the back of his head piped up, _you have feelings for……_

_Shut up._

Kathy sighed, hanging her head, so that little strands of raven hair fell over her face. “Let’s just get this over with, Aluran.”

The prince didn’t respond. He was gaping at Kathy, his face turning a deeper shade than her dress.

Cora nudged him. “Prince?”

“Right!” said Aluran wildly, turning on his heel. “Yes! Of course! Let’s go.” He marched out of the room.

“Uh, what was that?” Honey muttered.

“C’mon,” Shiro said, and the others followed. Lana looked away from Kathy and finally saw Pidge. He noticed the girl gazing intently at him, sighed, and opened his arms. “Okay. Spill. I know you’re dying to.”

“I – um – what?” the older girl squeaked.

Pidge frowned. “I said, I know you’re dying to start teasing me. So go ahead.”

“I – I wasn’t going to tease you.” A faint trace of red blossomed on the Cuban girl’s face.

Pidge furrowed his eyebrows. “Really?”

“Um, no, no, not at all,” Lana struggled to regain her composure. “You – you look great. Snazzy. Yeah. Come on, let’s go.”

The evening was average, if not tedious. Pidge stuck close to Honey, who pointed out what foods from the buffet were okay to eat, and which ones were not. As the leader of Voltron, Shiro drew a lot of attention and conversations, plus the shadows under her eyes were covered by the makeup Lana had generously applied. (Which was a bit of a shame, since she was more tired than her appearance suggested.) Kathy stood to one side, arms folded, stiffly accepting complements, and distracting a certain Altean prince to a great extent, though she didn’t know that. As for Lana herself, she was wandering around, chatting with a couple of the aliens (since apparently none of them suited her tastes enough to flirt with) but mainly trying to wrap her head around _why_ Pidge looked so different.

Or why she had goosebumps prickling her arms every time she made eye contact with him.

 _His eyes are actually a very interesting shade…..I guess I never noticed with the glasses on. And his hair….. Ha, at least he took out the pins……._ She rubbed her temple, and noticed that Honey and Pidge were coming towards her. _Act normal. Act normal_.

Honey yawned. “Girl, I’m _tired_. How long do these people stay up? It’s close to – well, it’s at least two vargas past the time we usually sleep after a fight with Zarkon.”

“If you’re tired, think of how Shiro feels,” Pidge replied. The three looked to see their leader trying – and failing – to stifle a yawn while talking to one of the natives.

“I’m going to ask Aluran when we can go back to the castle,” the woman continued. She looked at her best friend. “Lana, are you coming with me?”

“Yeah, sure. Actually, I mean, I’d love to, but I –” Lana trailed off, unsure of why she didn’t want to go to sleep too, when she saw Pidge had disappeared. “Hey, where’d Pidge go?”

Honey looked around her. “Oh, it looks like he’s getting some fresh air.”

Lana bit her lip, toying with her choices, then spoke. “I’m – going to join him.”

Honey shrugged. “Sure. Just don’t bother him.” As Lana walked away, a tiny suspicion began to form in the back of her mind. _Come to think of it, Lana has been hanging out with him a lot……._

Pidge looked at the large hedges that served as foliage on the planet. _Why was_ I _cast as the Paladin of the Forest? I hate nature._

But he remembered what Kathy said to him once: “ _I like it out here. It’s quiet._ ”

Well, he did have to hand it to her. It was quiet. A good place to collect his thoughts….

“Hey Pidge!”

So much for silence.

Lana came over, her dress swaying gently. She’d wrapped her jacket around her shoulders, since the air had a hint of cold about it. “‘Sup?”

Pidge looked out from the hall’s balcony towards the trees. “Nothing much.” He worried if he looked at his friend again, he wouldn’t be able to stop staring.

Lana, however, was looking at him unabashedly. “Why are you staring at me?” the male paladin mumbled, his face turning pink.

“Uh – well…..” Lana went red. “You – you’ve gotten taller.”

“Really?” Pidge looked up and met her eyes, and she swallowed at the sight of his bright irises, forcing herself to keep talking.

“Yeah. You reach my – my shoulder now. And your voice –”

“It’s changing. I noticed.”

“Hey, congratulations,” she joked, trying to loosen the mood. “You’re finally going through puberty!”

He scoffed. “About time.”

“It’s not that bad. People worry too much about acne and that sort of thing. My siblings did. Of course, I looked absolutely _stunning_ the whole way through.” She laughed.

“I don’t doubt it.” The words were out before he realized what he was saying.

“What?” Lana said, looking at her teammate – and realized the ~~small~~ distance between them. Her breath caught.

Pidge began to panic. “I – never mind.” He turned away from her and walked away, back into the main hall.

Lana clapped her palms to her cheeks, surprised to feel heat tingling beneath them. _What’s happening to me?_

_You like him._

“ _What?_ ” Lana squawked aloud, shaking her head. _No. Absolutely no way was that true. I mean – he’s_ Pidge _, for crying out loud!_

Indoors, the only male paladin of Voltron was trying to answer – and deny – the same question.

                                                *   *   *         

“Pidge, turn it off, I’m going to hurl!” the yellow paladin begged, slowly revolving in midair. The green paladin laughed, pulling himself towards the switch, his hair fanning around his face. “Okay, okay!” He flipped the lever, and the two immediately fell to the ground, Pidge still laughing.

Honey got to her feet, swaying a little, and put a hand to her stomach. “Oof. That was pretty sweet, Pidge, but next time show it to me _before_ lunch.”

“Sorry, Honey, but it works! We can manipulate the castle’s gravity system! I knew it existed when the crystal manipulated the castle, but we never knew where before!” The excited boy had a wide grin on his face as he tapped at his computer keys. At that moment the Green Lion’s hangar doors opened and Lana and Kathy walked in. “What’s up?”

“Oh, Pidge found a way to manipulate the castle’s gravity. So, I think that means you two can go swimming again. Properly this time.” Honey explained.

“Oh, no,” Kathy refused. “I’m _never_ going swimming with _Lana_ again.” She looked towards the blue paladin, expecting her to argue, but Lana wasn’t paying attention. Instead, she was looking at Pidge with a small smile on her face.

Kathy looked at Honey, confused, but the other girl elbowed her best friend. “Whatcha starin’ at?”

“What?” Lana looked at Honey, bewildered. “I – nothing!”

Honey smirked, but before she could say another word, Pidge came up to the three and started to ramble about his breakthrough. “We’ve barely scratched the surface about this castle, and I don’t think even Aluran and Cora know everything about it. This is pretty important! I mean, if there’s ever another case of intrusion in the castle, this will help us much more, because we can use our jetpacks, while the Galra will be sitting du-flaxes! Well, _floating_ du-flaxes, but you know what I mean.” He ran a hand through his bangs, eyes shining with a far-off look. “I swear, the tech on this ship is truly _incredible_ – what? What’s wrong?”

For Lana was staring very fixedly at her shoes, while Honey kept glancing at her and smirking, and Kathy just looked confused and mildly interested in whatever Pidge was saying. Honey looked at Pidge and grinned. “Oh, nothing, Lana and Kathy are just impressed by your discovery. Isn’t that right?”

“Yeah, it’s great, Pidge, but I have to go now so catch ya later!” Lana blurted out and practically sped from the room.

“Uh, what’s up with her?” Pidge asked, trying to regain his train of thought after seeing Lana’s shiny hair swing and flutter against her back.

“She’s pining,” said Honey nonchalantly. She frowned. “Well, I think she is.”

“Huh?” said Kathy.

“For who? Aluran? Still?” Pidge felt that same pang of annoyance in his gut. “She’s got to get her head out of the cosmos. He’s not going to fall for her, because he likes Kathy. And I’m going to tell her right now.” With that, the now-upset green paladin strode away from the two women, towards the hangar doors.

“Well, I didn’t say that she was…..” Honey trailed off, but shrugged. “Mm, they’ll talk it out. I hope. Anyway, congrats, Kathy.” She patted the emo girl on the back and headed out of the hangar, clutching her stomach every now and then.

“Wait, congrats for what?” Kathy said to the empty hangar (save for the Green Lion).

Pidge _did_ say he was going to talk to Lana, but instead he stomped into his own room. He flung himself onto the bed and moodily sat cross-legged with his chin in his hands, elbows on his knees. He’d finally figured out why he’d been feeling weird and queasy for the past month.

It was hormones.

Well, and possibly – _just possibly_ – the fact that he _might_ have a crush on Lana.

But that was stupid. This was _Lana_. Loud, flamboyant, egotistical Lana, who flirted with every hot male in sight. Who’d probably never even thought of Pidge as more than a nerdy kid brother.

And he was _Pidge_. The brains of the team, who was intent on finding his sister and father, who had about as much time for girls as he did for sports.

Which was none.

Somebody knocked at his door.

He groaned. “Who is it?”

“Lana.”

Oh, no. He did NOT want to see her now. “You – you can’t come in!”

“I just want to talk!”

Pidge ignored her.

Silence, then more furious banging. “Oh, c’mon, Pidge!”

He sighed heavily, then opened the automatic doors, which he’d programmed not to let anyone pass at all times.

Lana came in, and Pidge noted that she wasn’t wearing her jacket. She nervously twirled a lock of hair around her fingers, and he dimly wondered if she was cold in just the periwinkle shirt and jeans. Her eyes darted around the room. “Nice setup.”

“I tend to decorate. Or is that too feminine for your tastes?” Pidge snapped. He wasn’t sure where all the aggression was coming from.

“No, I never said that,” Lana replied, looking at him with those wide, blue eyes, and _holy crow_ , they sure were breathtaking……

 _Pidge. You’ve spent too much time pretending to be a girl. Your vocabulary shouldn’t be this_ sappy.

“What do you _want_ , Lana?”

She pouted. “I thought you enjoyed my company.”

“I usually do,” he muttered.

“Well, then.” She tipped her chin up at him, but the effect wasn’t as intimidating to him as it should have been. “What changed? The fact that you’re suddenly two inches taller? No more hair pins? You’ve hit puberty, which automatically makes you too cool for me, even though you’ve barely improved your appearance?”

Pidge gawked at her, surprised by her anger. “Are you even paying attention to what you’re saying?”

“Yes. No. I don’t know!” she cried, her voice ending on a whine. She collapsed onto his bed and squashed his pillow to her face.

After a moment, Pidge sat next to the sprawled figure on the bed and reluctantly asked, “What’s bothering you?” She’d spilled so much of her problems to him, he knew exactly why she’d sought him out. And why she was acting so weird.

Or at least, he thought he did.

“I need your advice,” the muffled response came. “I like a guy and I don’t know how to tell him.”

 _Oh_. The whole pining issue.

The reason he hadn’t wanted to talk to her in the first place.

Pidge scowled deeply. “Well, _you’re_ the flirt. But for the record, I’m pretty sure Aluran won’t reciprocate your feelings. He never has, and never will. He likes Kathy anyways, so your chances with him are practically nil.”

Lana sat up, chucking the pillow off her face and nearly hitting Pidge with it. “Wait, Aluran likes Kathy?”

“That’s what I said.”

“Ooh, we should set them up! Play matchmaker!” Lana was temporarily distracted from her worries as she deliberated this new piece of gossip. “But… what does he see in _her_?”

“Dunno. Sorry it didn’t work out, now please get out of my room,” Pidge said coldly.

“Wait, what didn’t work out?” Lana looked at him, tilting her head. A few strands of hair fell into her face, and Pidge felt a sudden urge to brush them away from her face, tuck them behind her ear, place his hand on her neck…..

What the _quiznak_ was _wrong_ with him?!

“The whole liking-a-guy thing!” he shouted. “Now just get out, okay? I’m too tired to deal with this!”

He’d apparently forgotten that Lana was as persistent as she was pretty.

Which, in his purely neutral opinion, was quite an amount.

“Wait, you thought I was talking about Aluran?” Lana tucked her legs under her knees, forehead wrinkling.

“Who else?”

She was growing frustrated by his attitude. “ _You’re_ the smart one, you should at least have a clue!”

“Are you insulting me?”

“No, I’m saying I like _you_!”

Pin-drop silence.

“Wait.” Pidge’s voice caught in his throat. “M-me?”

Lana’s face turned a dark shade of red, but she pressed on. “Well, yeah. You’re cool, super smart, a pretty good fighter, ~~kinda cute~~ , and I think I’ve always had a thing for you. Ever since the Garrison. I mean, I could’ve sworn I questioned my sexuality once. I guess I never realized it until now, because I was too busy chasing after what I thought I wanted.” She grabbed her hair and pulled it over her face, embarrassed. “Okay, I’m done spilling out my guts. I know you’re not going to like me back in that sense anyway. Sorry for bothering you.” She made to get off of the bed, but Pidge grabbed her shoulders. “Hey, wait!” However, he used more force than he intended to, which resulted in her falling backwards onto the bed. And while trying to steady her a moment too late, he lost his _own_ balance and ended up on top of her, palms pressed into the bed on either side of her head.

Lana began to sweat, focusing her gaze on the ceiling. She couldn’t even manage a suave pick-up line. Pidge didn’t seem bothered by the close contact…..yet. Instead, he narrowed his eyes at her. “Why wouldn’t I like you back?”

“Uh….because you’re you and I’m me?”

“So you think the tiny, nerdy guy won’t have a crush on the pretty brunette with the most incredible eyes in the universe and a smile that makes me want to kiss you every time I see it?”

“No, I – _what_?” she peeped out.

Pidge’s heart was hammering and his mouth was dry. “You – you heard me. And I really can’t blame it on hormones anymore, because I don’t think my brain would channel all the released dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins onto one particular paladin because of hormones –”

But before he could get another word out, Lana, in a surge of bravery, had clasped her hands at the nape of his neck, pulling him down to her level – and kissing him.

The kiss lasted only a few seconds, but it was enough to make Pidge feel like he’d just been given the most heart-racing jump-scare of his life. He couldn’t even respond. _Pidge.exe has stopped working. Backup assistance is required…_.. He sat back, dazed, as Lana, worrying she’d overstepped her bounds, sat up to peer into his face. “ _Oh_ , I’m sorry!” she moaned. “I thought what you said – meant – I shouldn’t have –” but this time Pidge spontaneously interrupted her with a brave gesture of his own. It was slipshod at first, but the two soon managed a much more comfortable position. He ran his fingers through her long hair a little hesitantly, while she slid her hands from his shoulders to grasp his forearms.

When they broke apart, both were more stunned than they let on. Pidge broke the quiet. “Wow,” he murmured.

“Wow,” Lana repeated. “Wow.” She couldn’t stop a giddy giggle from emerging, and when Pidge broke out into a hesitant grin, that only increased her mirth, and soon the two were laughing for almost five minutes straight.

After they had calmed down, Lana looked at him and smirked a little. “I’m going to be blunt. Was that your first kiss?”

Pidge folded his arms. “So what? It was _your_ first kiss too. I can tell by your reaction.”

Lana _hmphed_ a little, but grudgingly admitted, “Okay, yes, it was. It’s weird. I would have never thought my first kiss would be with _you_ , of all people.”

“Again, am I supposed to take that as an insult?”

“What, are you going to go all Kathy on me and challenge me to a fight on the training deck?”

“She uses brawn, I use brains. So no, but I might remind Cora about your promise to help her clean.”

Lana gasped in mock horror. “You wouldn’t!”

Pidge chuckled. “Don’t try me.” _So….what now? We_ kissed _. Holy crow, does that mean we’re a_ thing _now? Do we just go back to being teammates, or do we start doing some things differently, or….?_

But before he could stress too much, Lana happened to catch a glimpse of a very special photo. “Is this you and your sister?”

Distracted, Pidge looked at the picture - and his mood turned somber. “Yeah. It is. It was taken right before Kerberos.”

Lana looked at his downcast face, then gently squeezed his hand. “Don’t worry. We’re going to find her. And your dad.”

Pidge looked at their hands, then smiled. Knowing that she and the others would support him like this meant a lot to him. “Thanks, Lana.” Twisting his hand free, he lifted hers and squinted at her nails.

“Are those tiny dolphins?”

“I have _style_ ,” she argued.

Pidge smirked, his mood lifting. “Well, I certainly can’t deny that. No matter what happens in the universe, you, Lana McClain, will always have _style_.”

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's a pain to type in your email, but PLEASE leave a comment! You don't know how much they help stimulate authors! Thank you!


End file.
